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Republican McDonnell to Speak at Charter Day

It won’t have the national news coverage of the Response to the State of the Union Address, but new Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) will take the stage at William and Mary’s Charter Day ceremony on Saturday, February 6th. The Governor will speak and receive an honorary degree from the College, a Charter Day tradition started in 1756 when the College granted an honorary degree to Benjamin Franklin.

Read more HERE.

Equality Virginia Issues Call for Action

The following is an excerpt from the text of an action email from Equality Virginia to Virginia residents:

“Take a minute to read this alert, and then call your Virginia State Senator and ask him/her to vote for SB 66, which would protect all state employees from discrimination in the workplace. The vote will be in the next couple of days so it is important to call NOW, and to ask all of your friends and family to call, too!

This morning the Family Foundation sent out an email to its constituents and supporters urging them to contact their state Senators to ask them to vote no on SB 66. As usual, the Family Foundation’s rallying cry is that this is the “first time first time in Virginia history that sexual orientation would be elevated to a protected class.” About that, at least, they are right. Passage of this legislation would be historic.

Passage of SB 66 would not, however, be the radical step forward the Foundation suggests. Most Virginia businesses already protect GLBT employees from discrimination. This bill simply puts the state in line with the private sector, and ensures that Virginia state agencies and colleges and universities can be competitive when seeking to hire the best and brightest. [...]

90% of Virginia voters believe that GLBT Virginians should not be discriminated against in the workplace. 86% of people who said that they supported the so-called marriage amendment (some of whom might even be members of the Family Foundation) say that they also support workplace nondiscrimination.”

Va Attorney General Acts to Kill Initiative

Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli has acted to kill the initiative by former Governor Timothy Kaine to extend health care coverage to adult members of state employees’ households. For full documentation including the AG’s opinion, click HERE, then the Documents tab, and finally Attorney General certification which contains the letter declaring that “The proposed regulation suffers from numerous procedural and substantive defects.”

Times-Dispatch Publishes Call for Non-Discrimination

In an Op-Ed column sure to raise the eyebrows of its conservative subscribers, the dowdy Richmond Times-Dispatch published a call for the new governor to affirm the existing Executive Order 1’s non-discrimination policy against gay and lesbian public employees, and even to push a statute through the General Assembly to codify such a policy in the laws of the Commonwealth.

Pick up your jaw and read more here.

Lambda Alliance Seeks GALA Participation for “Gay in the Workplace” Panel

Lambda Alliance, the current campus organization for LGBT students, has formally requested GALA’s participation in a panel discussion on “Being Gay in the Workplace” for this spring semester. If any GALA members are interested in coming to campus for such a discussion, please contact GALA President Wayne Curtis through the “Contact Us” link in the right hand column.

Forbes Ranks W&M as “Best in the South”

Forbes Magazine has listed William and Mary as the second best public university in the South, and the fifth best Southern university overall.
From The Flat Hat

Gov. Kaine to Extend Benefits to Same-Sex Partners

In his last weeks in office, Gov. Timothy Kaine (D) will proceed with implementing a proposal that will extend health benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees, beginning an 18-month phase-in period that will require the cooperation of his Republican successor to complete.
Read the entire article in the Washington Post.

Dean of University Libraries to Retire

 

Connie Kearns McCarthy, dean of university libraries for the College of William and Mary, will retire in June 2010, she announced this week. Dean McCarthy has been a constant partner and supporter of William and Mary GALA throughout her tenure at Swem Library. We have had no greater friend in Williamsburg, and we congratulate her on reaching this milestone. (And we’ll miss her!) [Read the entire story]

GALA declines invitation to “The O’Reilly Factor”

In the aftermath of the student election for Homecoming Queen, GALA President Wayne Curtis received an invitation to go onto “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday, October 26, 2009. The following statement was sent to Fox News, as well as to representatives of other cable media:

“On behalf of William and Mary Gay and Lesbian Alumni, Inc., I appreciate your interest. We believe that the results of this student election speak volumes about the environment of tolerance and diversity that we have been working to build at William and Mary for over twenty years. Our membership of open-minded straight, lesbian, gay and transgendered alumni/ae and friends of the College of William and Mary feel that this election is a landmark event in our efforts to encourage that environment. However, since we are an independent organization of alumni/ae, not formally affiliated with the university, and not involved in day-to-day activities on campus, I don’t feel it would be appropriate to make commentary or otherwise take attention away from the William and Mary student body, for its their will that was democratically expressed in this matter.

Thank you for your offer, but I decline the opportunity to appear.

– Wayne Curtis,

William and Mary, Class of 1982

President, William and Mary GALA”

On behalf of William and Mary Gay and Lesbian Alumni, Inc., I appreciate your interest. We believe that the results of this student election speak volumes about the environment of tolerance and diversity that we have been working to build at William and Mary for over twenty years. Our membership of open-minded straight, lesbian, gay and transgendered alumni/ae and friends of the College of William and Mary feel that this election is a landmark event in our efforts to encourage that environment. However, since we are an independent organization of alumni/ae, not formally affiliated with the university, and not involved in day-to-day activities on campus, I don’t feel it would be appropriate to make commentary or otherwise take attention away from the William and Mary student body, for its their will that was democratically expressed in this matter.

Thank you for your offer, but I decline the opportunity to appear.

– Wayne Curtis,

William and Mary, Class of 1982

President, William and Mary GALA